Princess in a Mess
by FadedRose
Summary: COMPLETED! Princess Mia is having quite a few conflicts as the heir to the Genovian throne. Can she find a way out of this mess? MM
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns everything and all characters I put into this story!

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Ch 1. Prolouge

Why. Me.

I mean, seriously. What, exactly, did I do to deserve this kind of treatment? Normal people have grandmothers who side with them instead of their parents, or help them with homework, or give them uplifting talks. But NO. I had to get a grandmother who has tattooed on eyeliner, owns a hairless toy poodle that licks off all its fur, and finds sheer joy in making my life miserable.

I guess being a princess doesn't qualify as being a normal person, or something. Because why else would Grandmere insist upon having a formal ball in my name, right here in manhattan? I mean, it's bad enough in Genovia, but in my beloved hometown, where people I know (Lana) will end up reading about it in the _Times_? I'VE ONLY BEEN THE HEIR TO THE GENOVIAN THRONE FOR A FEW WEEKS!

That's it. My life, as I know it, is over.

I know I've said that before, but I fully mean it this time. Because

a. I'm a PRINCESS

b. My best friend would TOTALLY freak if I told her I was a royal

c. I think I might like said best friend's brother, who is, by the way, a SENIOR, and

d. My mother is getting MARRIED to my algebra teacher, who's class I am currently failing.

So there you have it. You see now? If you don't agree, you will eventually.

Because I have a feeling it will only get worse.

**So there you go! I'll have the next chapter up really soon, as I have only to tweak it up a bit first! Thank you lovely people for R&R-ing! I know this one is REALLY short, but the next ones will be longer cause this one's only the prolouge. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Again, I own NOTHING that I put into this story except my vast writing skillz ;)**

**To the Lovely Reviewers: Thanks for all your reviews! I appreciate them a lot, and they keep my stories going! If you have any suggestions or corrections, your constructive criticism is welcome and helpful ;)**

_Ch. 2- Rage upon the evil forces of nature such as Grandmere_

_G&T_

Okay. Now that Boris is safely locked away in the closet here in G&T, I can think. I have to be totally rational about this. I can do it.

WHO AM I KIDDING?

This is a DISASTER. You know that ball in my name that Grandmere wants?

It's not just an innocent little ball, with all of Grandmere's friends and a bunch of royal people I don't know trying to make conversation with me.

I should've known. If Grandmere is behind something, it's never innocent. NEVER. I can't believe I didn't see this coming earlier. I am SUCH an idiot. After looking at the list of guests for the ball that my dad mailed me from the Plaza this morning, I knew what was going on.

GRANDMERE IS TRYING TO FIX ME UP!

WHY isn't that woman locked away in an insane asylum like she SHOULD BE?

OH, GREAT. Lilly just leaned over and saw that last part that I wrote. "Woah," she says, "Your Grandmother has major issues. Did you mention to her you're only fourteen?"

Of course I did.

Except I totally DIDN'T!

Good thing Lilly isn't getting too suspicious. Yet.

Anyway, How could Grandmere not know my age? She knows. She MUST know. My Dad HAD to have mentioned it sometime or another. I've been having Princess Lessons with her for almost a month. And, okay, she's barely asked me anything about myself (she seems a bit preoccupied with making me miserable), but still. I mean, come ON. She must know SOME stuff about me.

RIGHT?

Not that, you know, I really WANT her to know a lot of stuff about me. Because that could lead to trouble, especially with... THAT woman who calls herself my grandmother. And I REALLY would not want her to know about my crush on Michael.

OK, Mia. Calm yourself.

I'll talk to her at Princess Lessons after school. I am SO not letting her do this to me.

_Loft- After Princess Lessons _

Ok. I swear, I TOTALLY meant to get all raged against her about the ball when I got out of the limo and Lars walked me up to the Plaza. I even sort of had a speech set up in my mind.

But as soon as I walked into her suite and recited the Genovian National Anthem in French per usual, Grandmere clapped her two hundred dollar manicured nails and one of the maids came out and whipped out this big white box.

I stood there staring at her confusedly until she rasped, all annoyed, in French, "What are you waiting for, Amelia? Open it!"

So I opened the box.

And I forgot that I was mad at Grandmere. Actually, I pretty much just forgot everything. I reached into the box and pulled out this amazing floor length blue and white (Genovian colors) ball gown. "Grandmere!" I gasped. "What's this for?"

She gave me the evil eye. "Your ball, of course."

And then I fully snapped out of whatever daze I was in. "Grandmere," I said, "I don't want a ball."

But apparently Grandmere thought I was joking or something, because she waved the thought away with a hand sweep and sipped at her sidecar. "Nonsense, Amelia," she said.

"Grandmere!" I said, and I have to admit that I was exasperated. This was not going to be easy, especially because I was still holding the gorgeous dress and I really wanted to try it on. "I do NOT want to get... fixed up!"

She snorted at my language and took a deep drag from her cigarette. "Why ever not, Amelia? Is there perhaps someone else in your life your not telling me about?"

Of course. Only he doesn't like me back.

"No," I lied automatically. She just snorted again and raked her bony fingers over Rommel, who shivered horribly. Poor thing. If I had to live with Grandmere, I would totally lick off all my fur, too.

"Grandmere, I'm only fourteen!" I said, remembering Lilly's comment from earlier.

"Amelia, stop being so dramatic!" She snapped loudly, sending Rommel to run beneath the coffee table and away from her creepy fingers. "This is simply a ball for you to meet new people, to get acquainted with other royals."

"You mean other male royals," I said, thoroughly annoyed with her. Then again, I'm pretty much always thoroughly annoyed with her. "I saw the guest list, and there's about four girls who aren't already sagging, total."

And then, she BLEW ME OFF. Really. Just like that, she stirred her sidecar and totally ignored me, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about. Now tell me the ten different ways you can greet someone if you are interrupting them."

And that was it. Well, let me tell you, I am NOT standing for this.

NO WAY.

**Hope you liked it! I promise Michael will be in the next chapter... this may turn out to be a bit fluffy eventually, I'll see where it goes. Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I. Own. Nothing. Meg. Cabot. Is. A. Genius. I. Only. Wrote. Story. **

_Ch 3. In which Mia becomes confused, distressed, angry, jealous, and happy_

_French_

CRAP! It's in the NEWSPAPER!

HOW did they find OUT? HOW did the reporters get the scoop that I am the Princess of Genovia?

I was serious when I said that things would only get worse. And look, they DID. I've already fully heard it from Lilly, and let me tell you she is FURIOUS. I don't think I've ever seen her face get so purple, except for that one time with the cupcakes and the spatula.

Ok, so let me start at the beginning.

Hans pulled up in front of the school like always, and I went to open the door. And I was actually pretty sure that today wouldn't be such a bad day, besides, you know, the whole ball thing. My hair didn't even look that triangular after I brushed it a couple of times. So I got out of the limo, feeling happy, when I noticed something weird was going on.

First of all, all the kids standing around the school outside were holding newspapers and whispering to one another. And plus they were all staring at me, like I had grown four heads, or something. Despite the fact that I was being stared at, that was not the worst of it. The worst thing was, there were reporters.

EVERYWHERE.

And the minute I stepped out of that car, all these bulbs started going off and blinding me until I was sure I would never be able to see again. And there were people shouting, asking me really weird questions like "Princess, what's your favorite food?" or "Princess Amelia, what's your advice for teenagers around the world today?"

And I just kind of stood there, in complete shock, not really knowing what to do, letting my eyes get burned out by cameras. Apparently though, Lars, who was in the front passenger seat, saw what was happening and jumped out of the limo and then started shoving me towards the school doors, fighting off all the camera people with one arm. He didn't need to do much, though, because most of them saw the nunchuks he had on his belt.

As soon as I got through the school doors, I wished I had stayed outside with all the reporters.

"A PRINCESS!" Lilly shrieked, where she was apparently waiting for me on the other side of the door. "WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING ON TELLING ME THIS, MIA? AT GRADUATION!" I swear, her whole face was all contorted up in anger and she closely resembled a plum.

"Um," I said, watching Lars make a call on his cell phone, probably to my dad, "Can we talk about this later?" Because, you know, there were all these kids standing around watching me get verbally attacked.

"NO WE CAN NOT!" she screamed again, pushing a newspaper in my face. " YOU'RE WORTH THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, AND YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO TELL ME? I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND!" And then she dramatically threw the newspaper down on the floor at my feet and stalked off, pretty much unaware that the whole entire hallway was watching us.

So now I'm sitting here in French, with Lars standing at the back of the room, and I can totally tell that the whole class is watching me. I would MUCH rather be at home, but my dad insisted that I stay in school with Lars until the end of the day, and we would talk about it then.

HOW could he THINK that? Like staying HERE is going to keep me safer than being at home. Mademoiselle Klein had to pull down all the shades in the classroom because there were reporters standing at the windows, too.

After Lilly's rage, I did get a chance to look at the paper. There's a really bad school picture of me on the front page of the _Times _and the headline reads Manhattan's Own Royal. This is TERRIBLE. I was fully content with nobody knowing! And yeah, Lilly started getting suspicious after I stopped riding the subway with her to school, but she still didn't KNOW anything. And you can see now why I wanted to KEEP it that way.

I wonder what Michael thought when he saw the paper. He probably thinks I'm a total freak now. Not that he didn't before.

My. Life. Is. Over.

_Loft_

Well, Lilly is most definitely angry with me. She gave away my seat at our usual table at lunch to that mouth-breather-sweater-tucker-inner BORIS PELKOWSKI, the Russian exchange student we always lock in the supply closet. So I ended up sitting at a table with Tina Hakim Baba, this girl who's got a body guard because her dad is all worried that she'll get kidnaped by a rival oil sheik. I am so sure, like that would ever happen. Whatever. She's nice enough, anyway. Nicer than my ex best friend.

As soon as I turned up at the Plaza for Princess Lessons after school, I was hounded by about FIFTY MILLION reporters, who probably would have COMPLETELY attacked me and possibly run over me if Lars wasn't there to scare them off with one mere glance at his HUGE arms. Then he shoved me through there until we got all the way up to Grandmere's suite.

"HOW DID THEY FIND OUT?" I half asked half shouted at Grandmere the exact minute I got in there, who was simply drinking her sidecar. My dad was looking kind of under the weather, in the understatement of the month. He was fully going back and forth to the liquor cabinet.

"They had to find out sometime, Amelia," she rasped, choking out a cigarette butt in the ashtray dish, even though I have repeatedly asked her not to smoke while in my presence. "You can't simply keep this a secret for the rest of your life. You have a public to impress."

"Well, now my life is ruined. Everyone at school knows, and Lilly's furious with me for not telling her."

Grandmere scrunched up her nose and gave me the evil eye at the same time, causing me to shudder in what I'm sure was a rude un-royal way. "Is that your friend with that vulgar television show that you insist upon watching? I strongly suggest that you do not invite her to the ball, Amelia."

Wait a second... she said that I couldn't invite Lilly... did that mean...?

"Woah. I can, like, invite my own friends to this thing?" Well, the prospect of having to go through with the ball was a lot less horrible knowing my friends might be there.

"Try that again, and speak in proper English."

Through clenched teeth, I said, "So I'm allowed to invite some guests of my choosing?" I must have sounded less angry or something, because my dad finally looked up at me from his newspaper in an astonished way.

"Of course you can, Mia," he said. "Who told you that you couldn't?" After this he dared a glance at my grandmother, who looked perturbed.

"Your father insisted you be allowed," she practically growled, digging her fingernails into Rommel.

When I left the Plaza, I was slightly less horrified that everyone knows I'm a princess.

But only slightly.

As soon as I got home, I plonked down in front of my computer and went online. My mom wasn't due home for a couple of hours, and I wanted to keep myself from thinking what she would do to my father once she read the paper.

_CracKing: So Thermopolis. Princess of Genovia, huh? Didn't see that one coming. _

That's my problem. I overlook the fact that Michael would of course be online, working on his site. And now I have to explain to HIM, the LAST person I would want to know that I was a Princess. I mean, come on. I'm freakish enough.

_FTLouie: Trust me, I REALLY don't want to be royalty. Lilly's horrified._

_CracKing: Nah, only because you failed to tell her that you were worth three million dollars. _

_FTLouie: Gee, thanks. I feel a lot better now. _

_CracKing: Man. A Princess. That's gotta be rough. Were you planning on telling any of us at all?_

No.

_FtLouie: Eventually._

_CracKing: What, exactly, do you have to do?_

Why in the world is Michael being so... calm about this? Maybe that's one of the reasons I like him. He treats me the same while everyone else treats me like an alien. But still, I'd rather be treated as something different than a little sister's best friend from him. Yeah, like that'll ever happen. I'm a lowly freshman, he's a SENIOR. Why would he ever like me?

_FTLouie: Nothing so far. Except attend a stupid ball that Grandmere is throwing here in a couple days. Apparently she's trying to hook me up._

Oh, crap. Why did I just TELL him that?

_CracKing: Ouch. That's rough. Well, if I was going, I'd try and help you avoid all the stiffs. Does she know you're only fourteen? _

He and Lilly can be so alike.

_FTLouie: Actually, you can go. I'm allowed to invite a few people._

WHY did I just DO THAT? He probably thinks I'm some kind of nutcase. Which I probably am. Why would he want to come?

_CracKing: Got nothing better to do. _

HE WANTS TO COME! What am I going to DO? This is awesome but totally not at the same time. I don't want him to see me dance with a bunch of other guys! Oh well, I can't back out of it now. Stay calm, Mia. Make your hands stop sweating so you can type.

_FTLouie: Ok, cool_. _Lilly probably hates me, but ask her if she wants to come to. It's formal. _

_CracKing: Sure thing, Thermopolis. Hang in there._

And then he signs off. And now I can breathe. I've got to call Tina and ask her if she wants to come, too. I'm pretty sure Grandmere invited Prince William, so she'll be way excited about that.

My hands are shaking SO BAD! Maybe Grandmere isn't so horrible after all.

**Hope you liked it! Sorry if it's a little weak, I wanted to get this up in a hurry because I won't be able to write for a couple weeks beginning next week (vacation!). So don't be alarmed if I don't update during those times, I'll be back on track in no time. **

**To my lovely reviewers:**

**the real violet parr: thanks so much for your reviews, I loved reading them! Yeah, I don't think I'd be all that happy to have a psycho royal grandmother try and hook me up at such a young age! Thanks very much!**

**Literati Lover: Thanks a lot! I can assure you that Michael will have his grand moments in this, although I don't want to go in depth here because that will ruin it for later! Keep reading to see what happens next, thanks for the review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Meg Cabot gets credit for all the characters and settings and everything except for Reginald Hall, I am but the measly** **little author who wrote this fan fiction. Read. Remember. Good.**

**I seem to have made a mistake (Oops) in my last chapter due to my haste in trying to get as many chapters up here as I can before I must be forced to leave my computer for two weeks, so in chapter three:**

**Mia is worth three hundred million dollars, NOT three million as Michael said in their IM conversation- and, um yeah, I think that's all... **

_Chapter 4. Shocked into a daze twice in less than ten minutes_

_Algebra (Friday)_

Only FIVE MINUTES after I stepped into G&T today, I could feel Lilly's eyes boring into the back of my skull. I was fully minding my own business, trying to listen to Michael explain algebra slopes. I thought I was acting pretty mature, if you ask me. I didn't publicly scorn any of my best friends, or anything. Because only someone IMMATURE would do that. Named LILLY.

I should have just turned around and went, "Do you NEED something?" or whatever, but Lilly can be kind of scary.

If Lilly saw that, she would say I'm not assertive enough. Yeah, right! I could be totally assertive, if I wanted to. Like that time in Miragnac (A/N spelling? Ah, well) when I was seven and I stole all of Grandmere's cigarettes from her bedroom and threw them in the lake because I was sick of her smoking and polluting the air all the time.

Except I ended up getting in really big trouble for that and had to write her a written apology.

But still. That counts as assertive. In one way or another.

"Are you aware that your sister has laser beams for eyes?" I mumbled to Michael while he was talking. And then I felt really stupid because I realized that I interrupted him. You know, I don't understand why I had to be the princess. I am so far from one, it's not even FUNNY. Well, I'm pretty sure my mom thinks it is. But then again, SHE doesn't have to walk around with a SEVEN FOOT Nordic bodyguard.

Michael didn't seem peeved that I interrupted him, though. He just snorted and said, "Yeah, one of her favorite hobbies is burning holes through the back of my head."

This caused me to laugh, which in turn caused Lilly to glare at me in a way that almost matched Grandmere's evil eye. She has NO right. So, just because she's mad at me, I have to hate her brother? Not gonna happen. I need as many allies as I can GET, at this point in time.

Which brings me to Tina, who thinks the fact that she now gets to attend a royal ball (granted her father lets her go) is the coolest thing since yogurt in a tube.

"Mia, that is SO AWESOME!" she said during lunch, actually putting down her romance novel for a moment so that we could fully discuss it. See? Lilly SO would have never done that. "You can finally dance with Michael and tell him how you feel!"

HA. Yeah, right. But, you know, she looked so happy and excited, so I just went, "Yeah, maybe." In other words, like NEVER. I am NEVER EVER in a MILLION years telling Michael James Moscovitz how I feel about him. He thinks I'm only his little sister's best friend. And plus, said best friend would totally TOTALLY freak! I think, maybe, even more so than the Princess thing. If that's even possible.

And then after saying that, I realized just WHAT Tina had said, and I fully started choking on my coke. Lars had to slap me on the back a few times before I could breathe again. And then I sputtered, "WHAT? How... HOW did you KNOW?"

"Oh. Uh, well, you know, I read a lot of romance novels and stuff, so I could kind of tell. Most of the girls in them don't blush all that much, but you do every time you're around him, so I just figured."

I was all set on denying it. I even opened my mouth to do so. But for some reason I looked across the cafeteria at the Computer Club table, and there was Michael, looking disturbed at something Kenny was saying. He looks kind of cute when he's disturbed...

ANYWAY, so I looked at Michael and took a huge breath and said, "Tina, if you tell ANYONE I swear I will KILL YOU."

And then she smiled. BEAMED, actually. "Oh, Mia, I can't wait! You and Michael, it's so perfect. Will Prince William be there? Because I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to dance with him!" And then she sighed all dreamily, probably thinking things about Prince William that I really would not want to know.

I seriously felt like giving her a hug, though. Because I didn't think anyone would APPLAUD my feelings for Michael. I mean, come ON. He's perfect, and I am the most far from it you could ever GET.

Anyway, so back to G&T. I was busy getting even more confused about Algebra while Michael was trying to explain those stupid slopes to me when the bell rang. All I could think was, _THANK GOD._ Even when a totally adorable guy is teaching it to me, I still can't stand algebra.

So then Michael got up and grabbed his stuff and went, "See you tomorrow night, Mia."

Woah.

WOAH!

Michael called me MIA! My first name!

MICHAEL CALLED ME BY MY FIRST NAME!

Not Thermopolis. _Mia. _I love how it sounded when he said it.

I'm pretty sure I mumbled something unintelligible in reply, and then just sat there, in my desk. For, like, five minutes. I didn't even care that the entire class had already ran out of there.

So I was busy being totally shocked when someone waved a hand in front of my face ever so rudely. "MIA!" whoever it was called.

I looked up to see Lilly Moscovitz standing in front of me, looking annoyed.

HA. I should be the annoyed one! It's not like I did anything to HER. Yeah, like I really had a choice to be a Princess.

"What were you saying?" I asked coldly.

"I said that I'm sorry about how I acted the other day. I just wish you would've told me about being the Princess of Genovia."

DOUBLE WOAH.

LILLY was APOLOGIZING?

This, clearly, put me back into a state of complete shock. I almost, ALMOST, forgot I was mad at her. "Oh," I replied intelligently. "Yeah. Um. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was actually kind of hoping no one would find out in the first place."

"Yeah," Lilly said, adjusting her glasses. "I guess I can kind of see why."

So I guess I'm not VERY mad at Lilly anymore. Just somewhat mad. If that's possible. "Yeah. So, are you coming to the ball?"

"Yeah, but do you mind if I bring my camera? I wanted to film it for _Lilly Tells it Like it is. _Unless you'd rather not be on TV, but I wanted to be the first one to get you in POG action."

Clearly, Lilly was making an effort to be nice, because she actually asked me permission to bring her camera. "Um... ok. Why did you say POG?"

"Princess of Genovia. Duh."

I was about to object to being called POG, but the bell rang for the start of Algebra, where I am now, and Lilly and I hadn't even gotten out of the G&T room yet.

"Crap, I've gotta get to PE. I should NOT have decided to take it Freshman year. Anyway, see you later, POG."

"Bye Lilly. And don't call me POG."

And that was the end of our conversation. So really, I've had a very trying day of strange conversations, and I'm still in Algebra. I've yet to go to Princess Lessons after school.

Michael called me Mia!

_Loft (Saturday)_

I was too mentally drained to write last night, so now I'm doing it only THREE HOURS before the ball, which was a really bad idea because I'm totally freaking out. I have to be at Grandmere's suite in half an hour, and I'm still IN MY PAJAMAS. But I have an excuse to stay in my bedroom all day and watch made-for-TV-movies. Mr Gianini is over, and he and my mom are talking about wedding plans in the kitchen. So clearly, I would not want to be down there. Because it is very awkward to see your Algebra teacher and your mom kissing. I should know. Whatever, my dress is at the Plaza, anyway. Grandmere should only yell at me for a few minutes, if I'm lucky.

So anyway, when I got to the Plaza yesterday (it seems to be taking longer than ususal, do to all the reporters flinging themselves at the Limo to try and take my picture) the first thing Grandmere did was make me try on the dress. I had already got fitted for it, but for some reason she wanted to make sure it fit properly. So I went into her suite's bedroom (normally I stay as far away from there as I can) and put the dress on.

For some reason, it was harder to tell that I was totally flat. I don't know what Grandmere told those people at Chanel to do to it, but it looked really good on me. It kind of flares out at the bottom, but not so much so that I looked like the sugar plum fairy. (**A/N: hehe. Had to put that.**) Also, it's off the shoulder, with this light blue sash-thing that sits around my waist and trails down behind me to the floor. Grandmere got ballet flats instead of heels for the dress, too. If you ask me, that seems like an insult. When I asked her why, she said it's rude to be taller than the men you dance with.

Well. That eliminates about half the freshman and sophomore boys for school dances. Not that they'd ever go with me anyway.

Besides, I'm saving myself for Michael. That's probably a really stupid idea, considering he is likely NEVER going to ever think of me as anything more than a friend. But I can't bring myself to like anyone else. Even Josh Richter. Even Justin Baxendale.

Anyway, so I came out of the bedroom and stood in front of the lounge chair Grandmere was sitting in. She simply looked at me critically and said, in French, "the chest is a bit too big. Those incompetent people at Chanel, they cannot even get the sizes right. Although it does not help that not very many gowns come in sizes that small..."

Okay, so that clearly WAS an insult. HELLO, I was standing RIGHT THERE. I ask you, again, HOW did I get stuck with HER as a grandmother?

Grandmere snapped her head towards me, like she could read my mind or something. I don't even want to think about what would happen if that were true. "Does it feel alright, Amelia?" she asked me in English with a wave of her cigarette. I swear I have NEVER seen that woman without one.

"Um..."

"Oh well, it doesn't matter, at least it should be easy to fix. I'll just have them take it in a bit around the chest. Now go take it off and bring it back here, Amelia."

So much for making me look less flat. They'll probably take it in until it looks all scrunched up.

Apparently Mr Gianini doesn't stay after school to help out algebra kids like Lilly said he did. Because when I got back to the Loft, he and my mom were sitting on the couch, watching a movie. And Mr Gianini fully had his arm around my mom.

"Oh, hey, Mia," my mom said when she saw me walk in. I felt my whole face turn a bright shade of red. And all they were doing was sitting on the couch! What's going to happen to me when they get married? "How were Princess Lessons?"

"Um. Fine," I replied moronically, then bolted out of there to my room as fast as I could. And I thought my mom would get all upset over the fact that everyone knows I'm a princess. But instead, she was sitting on the couch with MY ALGEBRA TEACHER, letting him put his arm around her.

Well. They ARE engaged.

Then Lilly called at eight and wanted to know where exactly the ball was taking place, since Michael wouldn't tell her because she failed to wash the dishes at dinner and he had to do it. So I told her that it would be at Reginald Hall, which is this big fancy place in a really expensive part of Manhattan with all these huge chandeliers all over the ceilings. According to my dad, it's only used for really big events, and since royalty from pretty much all over the globe is going to be attending, that's the only place big enough to hold everyone. (**A/N wow, TOTALLY made that up**)

AH! I just looked at my clock and I have about 5 MINUTES to get my butt dressed and out to the limo! Grandmere is going to KILL me!

**I know, I know, HORRIBLE way to end it. But feel happy! Because the next chapter is the ball! (WAY to give it away, alyssa.) ANYWAYS, Once again your reviews make me happy! And happiness makes me write! So thanks for reviewing! Chapter 4 coming to your computer very soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here except for Reginald Hall. There's really no point in saying that, because you guys already know, but I have to anyways. **

**FINALLY! After four chapters of waiting for some Michael-Mia fluff, you're gonna get it! So why are you reading this, Scroll down and read chapter five!**

_Chapter 5. The Ball, Part I_

_Limo to Reginald Hall (Saturday, Six PM_

I really, REALLY don't want to go dance with a bunch of other royal guys who I have no desire to 'get to know', as Grandmere put it. Did I mention that? Because I don't. Want to dance, I mean. Unless it's with Michael. In fact, the only thing that's keeping me from opening this limo door at a red light and bolting out of here is the fact that my friends will be there. I really hope Michael sticks to his word about helping me escape all the royal stiffs. Because then MAYBE I will get a chance to dance with him. If, you know, he asks me.

Woah there, Mia. Don't get your hopes up, because most likely they will only get crushed to dust.

Besides, Lilly will totally be there, and so will Tina and Boris (I told Lilly she could bring him if she made sure he didn't wear a sweater. Tina didn't bring Dave for fear that he might get jealous about her obsession with Prince William and flee from her like startled fawn. I, for one, can't blame her.) So even if hell froze over and Michael really DOES like me for some reason unknown to mankind, he would probably be too shy to ask me to dance since his sister will be RIGHT THERE. Because, according to Lilly, Michael is too much of a freak to ever have a girlfriend. Or any friends.

I, On the contrary, think Michael is FAR from a freak.

But I'm pretty sure you know that already.

I wonder if he'll notice that I actually look pretty good tonight. I mean, Paulo totally did all this stuff to my hair, so now it's nice and straight and shiny and not so triangular shaped. Also, Grandmere pretty much forced me to let him do my makeup, although I fully made sure that the products were NOT tested on animals. Thankfully, he only put so much on so that it appears natural, but it definitely improves my look, if you ask me.

Anyway, so before I left Grandmere's suite fully in my evening wear, including my tiara (she made me wear it), she told me that when all the guests had arrived and everyone started to talk and dance, I had to accept any invitations from any of the young men there to dance with them.

Now, this may sound like a reasonable request.

But she accompanied it with one of her glares, which sent a shiver down Rommel's spine, and said it so that it was more of a threat than anything.

Whatever. If Michael asks me to dance (PLEASE, I WILL NEVER ASK FOR ANYTHING AGAIN, GOD) then she can't yell at me for dancing with what she says is a commoner, because, you know, they're HER rules. And that would be totally unfair, if she yelled at me for dancing with him instead of a royal.

Still, I wouldn't put it past her.

Oh, CRUD. We're here. I just looked out the window, and there are reporters and paparazzi EVERYWHERE. Lars just totally made sure his guns were in place before getting out of the car. How is it that being royal makes you so... POPULAR? It's not like us royals even had to DO anything to become heirs. I mean, no one's even HERE yet, but still, they're all over the place with their cameras.

Well, Lilly-and-Boris, Tina, and Michael are supposed to come early so I can talk to them for a few minutes.

In other words, so I can warn them of the danger that is Grandmere before said danger gets here. She only agreed to let me come before her because my dad (BLESS HIM) gave me permission and promised to be at Reginald Hall early, too, so that someone would be there with me. Well, besides Lars. And all the security.

I have to get out of this limo before Lars starts to get really impatient (he's already tapping his foot outside. Geez, bodyguards get so touchy).

I can't wait to see Michael in a tux!

_Reginald Hall bathroom (6:45 PM)_

Wow. It's kind of amazing how whenever I go somewhere important, I end up sitting in a bathroom stall.

Anyway, the dancing is going to start soon, so I have to be quick. Lilly probably already thinks I'm constipated, or something.

When I got out of the limo, all these reporters and paparazzi immediately started JUMPING all around me, flashing their cameras and calling my name. I could just make out the front door to the hall through the blinding lights when Lars jumped right in, pushing them away and saying gruffly, "Princess Mia has no comments," giving me a clear view to bolt for the door.

So that's what I did.

I guess the doorman guy recognized me (or maybe the tiara) and gave a little bow as I approached, saying "Welcome, Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo. You may proceed into the Hall, when you're ready. Someone should attend to you right away." And then he lifted his head and checked something off on his clipboard.

So I took his advice and went inside, Lars walking in behind me.

"Princess, if you don't mind, I'll be off now as it seems there is plenty of security around here."

I don't think Lars has said so many words at one time to me since he started being my bodyguard. In fact, most of his sentences consist of fewer than four words. "Sure, Lars," I said, looking around for Lilly-and-Boris and Tina and Michael.

"I'll be over there if you need me."

"Sure, Lars."

"Prince Phillipe should be here any minute."

"Sure, Lars."

I think he was getting the idea that I just wanted to go find my friends, so he left me alone and went to talk to the security guys.

Thankfully, I didn't have to look for very long. Because just as I was about to go ask Lars what time all the ROYAL guests, including my Grandmother, would be arriving, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"This place is bigger than our whole freakin' apartment building! How many people are going to BE here?"

I turned around and there was Lilly, staring at the many chandeliers on the ceiling, wearing a Betsy Johnson number (**A/N: Had to use it, I'm not very in touch with designer names**). Boris was standing next to her, wearing a green tuxedo.

Maybe I should've let him wear a sweater.

Anyway, I was about to ask where Michael was, but it turns out I didn't have to. Because a moment after, he ran in, cheeks pink from the autumn air, explaining that he had to park the car his parents let them borrow. Maybe it was my imagination, but it looked like his whole face lit up when he saw me. I have to say, Michael DOES look totally hot in a tux. At least it was black.

Lilly hugged me as a hello, followed by Boris, who smelled a little like new shoes. It kind of freaked me out, but I guess Lilly insisted on taking him shopping before coming. I can only be thankful.

And then Michael came over and hugged me, too. It was different than Lilly's and Boris's hugs, besides the fact that it seemed longer. What I couldn't tell, really, was whether or not it was a hug you would give just a friend, or someone you liked. I'm sad to say I'm not really skilled in these things.

Michael let me go, much to my dismay, and just looked at me. Lilly looked from him to me and visibly rolled her eyes. "Hey, POG, point me to the refreshment table, it took us an hour to get here and I'm STARVING." She sounded annoyed, for some reason.

Michael was still looking at me. I had to look away from those peat bog eyes, or I knew I would have gotten sucked straight into them and then I wouldn't have been able to answer Lilly and then she would know that I'm in love with her brother.

"Don't call me POG! The refreshments are over there," I said, pointing in the direction I really hoped was the refreshments. Lilly pulled Boris towards the table, and it was just me and Michael.

Alone.

Well, not REALLY, because there were security dudes all over by the walls, but it was as alone as we would get. For the moment, anyway.

Michael pulled uncomfortably at the black bow tie around his neck. "So, Mia," he said, making my heart soar by just saying my NAME, "Where's the ballroom, anyway? This place looks easy to get lost in."

I didn't doubt that. Lilly pretty much summed up its whole size the minute she walked in. "Um, I don't really know. I didn't have time to explore." Grandmere didn't even bother to tell me where I was supposed to be GOING. That doorman guy said that someone would attend to me as soon as I got in there, but not ONE of the people rushing around came up to me and even greeted me. HELLO, what do they expect out of me? I'm only fourteen.

Michael shrugged. "Are we allowed to, now?"

"Allowed to... What?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously. And then about five seconds after I asked that I felt like slapping myself on the forehead. Because, you know, if I was actually listening to him and not daydreaming, I could've figured that out myself.

"Are we allowed to explore? There's got to be at least three huge floors on this building, and I for one would really like to know where I'm going."

I didn't even know what to make of that. Was he asking to explore with me? Or by himself? Or with the whole group?

But it turns out I didn't get a chance to ask. Because a voice that I recognized all too well said behind me, "Aw, Michael, shut it. You just want to be alone with Mia."

I turned around to give Lilly the best glare I could muster. She was holding a bunch of cheese cubes in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Somehow she had managed to talk with a cracker smothered in crab spread sticking half way out of her mouth. If Grandmere saw Lilly, I wouldn't have a best friend anymore. Because she'd be DEAD. Boris, I noticed, was still at the refreshment table, looking confused at the food. It would have been a funny sight, actually, because he was also talking to himself, but my face had heated up so badly at what Lilly said that all I could think about was my embarrassment.

I glanced at Michael. He was looking at Lilly like if she didn't stop talking, he would strangle her. His cheeks were red, too, but he seemed to regain himself and said, "Shut up, Lilly."

WHY didn't he object? What is going ON? WHY ARE THEY LOOKING AT EACH OTHER ALL MEANINGFULLY?

I felt bad for Michael. The two of them looked like they were exchanging telepathic conversation or something, and apparently Lilly was getting the upper hand. Finally she stopped glaring at him after like 10 MINUTES, and turned to me. "Okay, you guys go look around, I'll stay here and wait for Tina to come."

I was thoroughly shocked. Seems that's been happening A LOT lately around the Moscovitz siblings.

Tina! I had forgotten about Tina! Geez, what kind of friend AM I? I'd been so busy thinking about Michael and being shocked at Lilly's sudden gesture of kindness, I forgot she hadn't arrived yet.

"Um... okay. Thanks, Lil," I said. I know I should've stayed and waited for Tina, but by the time she got here Grandmere would probably already be here, too. And then I would be whisked away from my one true love (who, unfortunately, doesn't love me back) and have to make small talk with all the other guests. Hopefully Tina will understand, being a romantic.

So Lilly went back to help Boris find food that wasn't raw, and Michael and I were alone once again.

And then to my very great surprise (and utter enjoyment), Michael tugged my hand towards the room on my right. "Come on, Mia, let's look for the ballroom first."

So I followed him, trying to hold my dress up so that I wouldn't trip and fall flat on my face. When we made it to a dead end, I looked down both hallways on either side of me. They were REALLY long and had a lot of doors... that all looked the exact same. Since the building was rectangular, there were probably FOUR of these hallways, which meant A LOT of confusing doors. GEEZ, who BUILT this place, anyway?

"So... which door first?" I asked. Apparently Michael had been trying to open some of them, but they weren't giving.

"All the ones down here are locked. Let's try the next hallway."

So we went down the next hallway, and RIGHT THERE were these huge double doors that looked like they took more time to make then the rest of the building. They had all these carvings on them of detailed animals, and each animal had a pair of pearl eyes.

I gasped. I couldn't help it. "These doors are beautiful!" I said, carefully running my fingers over them (Grandmere would never forgive me if I broke something at my FIRST BALL).

"Relax, Thermopolis," Michael said, pulling on one door handle. "We haven't even gotten inside yet."

He was right. The inside was definitely the best part. There were ENORMOUS chandeliers all over the ceiling, and the walls and floor reminded me of the ballroom at the Von Trapp mansion in _The Sound of Music_. Actually, it looked almost identical to that one, besides the fact that it was way larger.

I wondered if there was a garden, too...

Michael stood in the middle of the ballroom, staring at the ceiling, while I went over to the windows lining the part of the ballroom that was sticking outside. And there it was.

A little pond sat in the middle of some cobblestone pathways, with flowers all over the place. It was so serene looking, not to mention beautiful.

"Michael, this place is so beautiful!" I said, twirling around on the dance floor (whenever I have a full length dress or skirt on, twirling becomes a favorite past time).

"Yeah, it is," he replied in what I figured was quiet awe, or something.

I had twirled all the way across the floor, nearly knocking into Michael because I was so dizzy. But instead of getting knocked over, Michael took my hand in his and twirled me once so that when I came back around, he stopped me by putting his other hand on my waist.

This, obviously, surprised me. Because Michael has never been to a school dance before, let alone somewhere you would dance like THAT (like this ball). "Michael! How do YOU know how to dance?"

Michael shrugged. "In my freshman year at AEHS, we had Ballroom Dance class. They replaced it in my sophomore year with G&T, though." He thought for a moment. "I don't really remember very much of what we were taught." He looked at me curiously, not moving his hand from my waist. "How do YOU know how to dance?"

"Grandmere," I said. Sometimes, that single word answers all questions.

And then I really don't know how it happened, but the soul of some outgoing, pretty girl must have taken over my body, because I put a hand on Michael's shoulder, tightened my grip on his hand that was already in mine, and said, "Well, I'll refresh your memory. Unless you want to look like an idiot out here tonight." Of course, after I said this, my cheeks instantly burned up. "Not that you're an idiot, or anything."

Thankfully, Michael smiled. "I know, Mia." His expression switched to a thoughtful one, and then he said, "I think I can remember some of this..."

And we were dancing. Well, as close to it as we would probably get. We were also laughing pretty hard, because we kept stepping on each others feet and getting our fingers all twisted when Michael tried to twirl me. I would have been totally happy just to be there dancing with Michael in an empty ballroom all night, with no Grandmere or other royals or anything. But my feet started to hurt (from dancing AND from being stepped on), so Michael twirled me one last time.

Only on the last twirl, I somehow ended up closer to him. And both of Michael's hands ended up around my waist.

And neither of us was laughing.

We were just looking at each other. I was letting myself get sucked into Michael's peat bog eyes, and I got that weird warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach.

Michael cleared his throat. "Mia, I-"

"MIA! MICHAEL! THERE you guys are! Mia, your grandmother got here fifteen minutes ago, and she is royally pissed..." Lilly looked at us suspiciously, narrowing her eyes like a cat. "What are you guys _doing?_"

Michael seemed to remember where his hands were and he dropped them away from my waist. I really wanted to kill Lilly. Michael was ABOUT to say something, and now I'll never know what it was!

"We got... um... lost," I said weakly. I could tell it was weak, because my voice totally faltered on the word 'lost'.

"Ok... well, all you have to do is make a right when you get out of this ballroom. It only took me like a minute to find you guys. Anyway, you'd better get downstairs, Mia. I wasn't kidding when I said your grandmother was pissed."

So Michael and I followed Lilly out of the ballroom and down the stairs, where I saw people were already beginning to arrive. The front Hall was half full of royals, all talking to each other and eating cheese. I spotted Tina, wearing a long red dress with her hair all done up, talking to Boris by the foot of the staircase.

"Finally!" She said, hugging me as I got closer. "I was wondering where you guys went." She shot me a meaningful look, which I pretended not to notice because both Lilly AND Michael were watching.

And then the danger approached.

"AMELIA!" Grandmere barked, wearing (what else) purple. "WHERE have you been? You have guests, go mingle!" As she said this, she smiled at the Emperor of Japan's son. It's really amazing how she can do that. Say something really threateningly to one person while smiling at another at the same time.

I really didn't want to go mingle. I don't know HOW to mingle! So I did the only thing I could think of.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

Yeah, I know, it's horrible, but it was my only escape route.

Uh Oh. Lilly just came in here and knocked on the stall and said, "Mia, everyone's already in the ballroom! You're supposed to go to the second floor and descend the grand staircase (the other side of it leads to the ballroom)! EVERYONE is waiting for you!" And now she's leaving in a huff.

So I guess I should probably go, unless I want my head to be chopped off by Grandmere.

Well. Here goes.

**DUN, DUN, DUN. SUSPENSE!** **What will happen between Mia and Michael? Will Michael get to tell Mia what he was going to say? Find out in part II!**

**So NO, that is NOT the end of this part! There's another one, which I will post very shortly after this. So you won't have to wait for like three days or anything. **

**Thanks to: The real Violet Parr, Literati Lover, and shwartzibrow. Your reviews are so great, I love reading them! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**---- alyssa ----**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Reginald Hall, some of the guests blah, blah, blah, OK NOW GO READ!**

**WARNING: Fluffy. If you don't like fluff, then you may want to stay away from here. Because it does indeed get fluffy. That is all. Now, to all the Fluff Lovers, GO READ!**

_Chapter 6. The Ball, Part II_

_Reginald Hall Bathroom (YET AGAIN) Saturday night_

Grandmere is going to KILL me once she notices I'm not in the ballroom, but this COULDN'T wait. I have to write it down. Because tonight was the BEST NIGHT OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!

Ok.

I couldn't just take my journal with me while I got introduced, because, you know, that would look kind of weird. I mean, can you just picture me walking down the staircase carrying my JOURNAL? Grandmere would be horrified. So I shoved it in one of the huge plants in the Ladies Room waiting room, which turned out to be a good idea because it was already here when I left the ballroom.

Then I left the bathroom and went up to the second floor, pretty much just standing there because I really didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. Thankfully, this blonde lady with one of those walkie talkie headset things came up to me and told me all I had to do was wait outside the doors until I heard them announce my name, and then I was supposed to walk through them. She looked like the kind of girl who was likely to be my dad's next girlfriend. That's probably totally rude to say, but it's true, nonetheless.

She did not, however, remember to mention what I was supposed to do once I walked through the doors. So when I heard a voice saying, "Presenting Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo, Princess of Genovia," I was just about ready to bolt. But the blonde lady was standing RIGHT THERE, so when I didn't move she sort of pushed me through the doors.

Not in a mean way, or anything. I mean, she was only doing her job. And Grandmere probably told her to shove me in there if I didn't move. But I really was NOT ready, so instead of gracefully walking out there and waving, I stumbled through the doors and blinked at the sudden light from all the chandeliers.

And the room erupted in applause. So I just kind of stood there and waved, trying really hard to stand up straight and smile. And then I noticed Grandmere standing at the front of the crowd next to my dad, and her eyes were all wide (probably with utter horror) and she was crooking her finger at me. So I guessed that I was probably supposed to descend the stairs.

When I noticed that my tiara was not on my head.

Actually, I got all the way down the stairs before realizing it had fallen off my head when Miss Blonde pushed me through the doors. They should really make tiaras easier to keep on your head. I mean, come on, if it fell off when I barely got shoved, what would happen if I TRIPPED? It would probably go flying across the room and hit Grandmere in the eye or something...

So anyway, I looked back to see where it had fallen, but it was nowhere. NOWHERE. I guess it fell on the other side of the door. Blondie was probably running off with it to make a million dollars by now. She could totally sell it on E Bay, if she really wanted to.

And I was thinking this when Dad gave me a hug and said, "Good Job, Mia," then went up on some stage thing they must've set up after Michael and I had left to give a speech. Thank God Grandmere didn't make ME give a speech. I still have to for my Announcing in Genovia, but at least not NOW.

Which was how Grandmere got the opportunity to hiss in my ear, "Amelia, where is your tiara?"

"Um." I didn't want to tell her it had fallen off. Because I knew that I was the one who would get skinned when she found out. Or, you know, if the tiara never showed up.

So instead I answered by saying, "I'll go get it. I... left it in the bathroom."

Grandmere looked at me with total annoyance. Good thing she can't hurt me in public. "You can't possibly go now, your father is giving a speech. I'll send someone to fetch it for you." And then she went off to find someone. Probably Blondie.

"Yeah, thanks," I said through gritted teeth. I was in for it now.

Then my dad finished his speech and everyone clapped, which meant that the dancing was going to be beginning. So before I could be asked to dance, I bolted through the crowd to find Lilly-and-Boris, Tina, and Michael. Luckily I didn't have to look very long. They were all standing at the back, looking as though they were wondering what they were supposed to be doing.

Well, Lilly-and-Boris and Tina were, anyway. Michael wasn't there. "Hey, where'd Michael go?" I asked.

Lilly rolled her eyes at me. "I don't know, he's a big boy. Anyway, we totally saw your tiara fall off when you got pushed through the doors. Where'd it go?"

I groaned. "I don't know, it probably fell on the other side of the door. Grandmere is going to KILL ME."

Lilly shrugged. "That stinks. Maybe my brother will offer to slay the dragon for you, since you guys are such good friends, and all." Then she turned to Boris, seemingly oblivious to the fact that my face was already on fire, and said, "Come on, Boris, Let's hit the floor!"

Boris looked totally confused but went out to the dance floor with her anyway. I didn't know LILLY could dance, either! She was pretty much dragging Boris around the floor, trying to teach him what to do. Well, she's a genius. She probably read it somewhere.

"What was all THAT about?" Tina asked me when we were alone. "'Since you and Michael are such good friends'? And the eye rolling? Mia, would you please tell me what you're not telling me."

So I did. I told her about the exploring, and how Michael told Lilly to shut up but didn't object when she said he wanted to be alone with me, and about the dancing, and how Michael had his hands around my waist and was about to tell me something when Lilly stomped in. Tina was so obviously loving it. She said, "SEE? You two are perfect for each other!"

Of course then I had to remind her that Michael doesn't love me back. But she was totally persistent. She was all, "Mia, of course he does! That's what he was going to tell you, don't you see?"

Except, you know, I didn't. "Whatever, Tina," I said with a shrug.

We couldn't talk after that, because this guy started coming towards us. I was thinking, _hey, he's not too bad looking, _when I heard Tina gasp and squeal. And then I realized why.

"OHMYGOSHMIATHAT'SPRINCEWILLIAM!" She whispered excitedly to me. I was like, WOAH. I don't remember seeing HIS name on the list!

"Hello, Princess Amelia," he said, bowing to kiss my hand. Now, this is normal custom in Europe, where he lives, but here if someone you didn't know did that to you, you'd be all GET AWAY. Tina poked me hard in the back, trying to get my attention, but I ignored her. "I am Prince William, it's a pleasure to meet you. Care to dance?"

I was pretty much dumbfounded, but I managed to say, "Uh, yeah, the pleasure is mine," like Grandmere told me to. WHY was it that I actually ended up using something Grandmere taught me? Probably because my usual greetings consist of 'Hi'. And you can't just say HI to a PRINCE.

Tina poked me in the back AGAIN and whispered in my ear, "Mia!" But I ignored her. Again. I probably should've turned around, but Prince William was right there, and that would earn me a big long lecture from Grandmere, who was staring at me critically from where she was dancing with some Duke-or-other.

Anyway, I didn't have to worry about saying something stupid in front of a prince, because the next thing I knew Michael had appeared next to me and said, "Excuse me, William, do you mind if I borrow the princess for a dance?"

OH MY GOSH!

HE DIDN'T EVEN CALL HIM PRINCE WILLIAM!

I was totally STARING at Michael with my mouth open, wondering where exactly he got so much assertiveness before I remembered he was related to Lilly. He looked annoyed, but I don't really know why. It's not like Prince William was BOTHERING me, or anything. Still, it was kind of thrilling to see Michael like that.

Prince William just kind of looked at him. I don't think he's used to being called just 'William' by people who weren't his friends and family. Or anyone who wasn't royal, for that matter.

"Oh. Yes, of course," he said, being the kind royal the tabloids claim him to be.

Michael took my hand. "Thanks," he said. BOY, did it feel good to be holding Michael's hand. Even though, you know, across the room Grandmere was looking totally horrified and giving me the evil eye.

Tina seized her chance to dance with him, though. "Prince William, I would be delighted for a dance," she said with a curtsey. Geez, and she doesn't even have a grandmother who gives her etiquette lessons. But she was totally all giggly when he accepted her invitation to dance. Maybe she really will get his email address.

Anyway, so Michael led me to the dance floor. I smiled at him and was totally ready to dance with him (HA! MORE than ready) but he handed me my tiara. "I found it on the floor outside the ballroom doors upstairs. Thought you might want it back."

"Oh my gosh, you found it! Thanks Michael! Grandmere was ready to kill me." And then before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a hug. WOW, did my face flame up after THAT.

"No problem," he said, and I was ecstatic (not to mention relieved) that he hugged me back. "Need help?" he asked when he let go of me.

I nodded, and he took the tiara from my hands and then pushed it back onto my head. I shivered when he touched my hair. Thank God he didn't notice. Then he took one of my hands in his and put his free hand around my waist. I put my free hand on his shoulder, and he led me into the dance.

We weren't as awkward on our feet as we were before, now that we knew what the other was doing. Actually, I'm proud to say we only stepped on each other a couple times. When I looked over at Tina, she was having the time of her life with the prince. The smile on her face was so huge it looked like it would be stuck there for a while.

"Um... Mia, do you want to- I mean..."

I looked up at Michael. His cheeks were pink (probably from dancing, I thought). He still looked totally cute.

"What?"

"Do you want to take a walk?" he asked, getting it out all in a rush.

I couldn't help it. I totally beamed, despite Grandmere always saying that you have to keep a poker face around men, especially if you have feelings for them. "Yeah, let me just tell my dad."

So I left Michael to go find my dad. Actually, I didn't really have to do any finding, because he was fully standing by the podium talking to Blondie.

"Dad, can I go take a walk with Michael?" I didn't even care if I interrupted little Miss Blonde, because my tiara fully would NOT have fallen off if she hadn't pushed me.

Thank God my dad was totally absorbed in his conversation. He just kind of waved at me and said, "Go ahead, Mia, just be back soon."

So before he understood just what he allowed me to do, I walked briskly back to Michael. He smiled at me (I practically MELTED) and held out his hand. I took it, and we walked out to the gardens.

I swear, it was like something out of Cinderella, or whatever. He found my tiara, and we were walking around the gardens at night. And everything was going really well, too. I never ever have trouble talking to Michael. We always have SOMETHING to talk about. Like just then we were discussing why Padme (**A/N: spelling?**) was all tough in the first two Star Wars movies, but then she got all helpless in the third one, Revenge of the Sith. I argued that she was pregnant, so she had a right to be helpless, but Michael said total personalities don't just CHANGE like that. Normally we discuss the old Star Wars movies, but today was an exception, I guess.

And the best part about it was that we were STILL HOLDING HANDS. Michael either forgot (hey, it could happen) or he, for some reason, wanted to hold my hand. I was really, REALLY hoping the latter.

After we walked and talked for a while, I kind of forgot where we were. I mean, the gardens looked so much smaller when I was looking out the window. But they seemed huge now that we were IN them. Finally Michael stopped walking and let go of my hand (NO!). "Do you know where we are?" he asked me.

"No, this path seems to go on forever." And I was thinking, _CRAP. My dad is going to KILL me. No, GRANDMERE is going to KILL me. _

"Well, we should probably go back," he said in all seriousness. "Let's just go a little further and then turn around."

I reluctantly agreed. I really would rather NOT go back to the ball and all the annoying royals waiting there for me.

But when we walked a little further, there was this huge tree, probably bigger than any other ones there, with two ropes hanging from a branch. Attached to the end of the ropes was a large, thick, sanded piece of wood, hanging maybe three feet in the air. It was so weird, especially to see it in this place. I mean, in someone's backyard, sure. But in the private garden of the Reginald Hall? Not so much.

Still, I couldn't resist. I ran up and sat on the swing. But then I remembered that I was indeed wearing a gown, and if I started to swing there would probably be a clear view of... well, you know. Michael and I were the only PEOPLE around here, but still. He'd probably think I was some kind of freak.

But maybe not. Because he laughed and said, "This is a kind of strange place for a swing." And then he came up behind me and gently pushed on my back, sending me into the air (with the swing, of course). I think I may have squeaked when he did that. But I got used to it after a couple minutes, and I actually started laughing, even though I was holding onto the ropes for dear life.

And then Michael pulled back on the strings, making the swing stop. He came around the swing and stood in front of me, leaning on the ropes with both hands. I didn't realize how close our faces were until we had both stopped laughing.

And suddenly, my heart was beating really fast. I was totally afraid Michael would hear it. But I don't think he really cared.

Because the next thing I knew, his head had bent down and our lips were inches away...

And then Michael Moscovitz kissed me.

I didn't know what to do, really. All I knew was that this was the BEST moment in my ENTIRE LIFE. So I just sat there with my eyes closed while Michael kissed me, until I felt something on my lower lip.

And then I knew what to do.

So I kissed him back.

_Loft (Midnight, Saturday Night)_

I had to stop writing there last night, because Grandmere herself knocked on the bathroom door and demanded to know what I was doing in there for so long.

Ok, so here's what happened:

When I started to kiss Michael back, he put his hands gently on my waist and pulled me up off the swing and closer to him. I can't say I minded THAT too much. And then he started to run the fingers of one of his hands through my hair, causing my heart to beat so fast I was sure it would fall out of my chest.

Only just as I was getting up the nerve to put my arms around his neck, his fingers accidentally caused my tiara to fall out of my hair and onto the grass. It wasn't even on my head all the way in the first place because of that stupid LADY. WHY did she have to PUSH me? That one push has been causing me a lot of problems, let me tell you.

And at first, I wasn't even going to pick it up. Because I really didn't want Michael to stop kissing me, and bending down was a sure way to do it. But he must have noticed that it fell out, too, because he broke our embrace and picked it up for me.

"Thanks," I said, feeling blood rise into my face. Michael just smiled and put it back in my hair, then took my hands in his and leaned his forehead against mine.

"Mia, I have to tell you something," he said softly. It was almost a whisper.

"What?" I was really hoping he would tell me what he was going to say in the ballroom.

"Mia, I... well, I lo-"

"MIA! MICHAEL! WHERE ARE YOU TWO, EVERYONE'S LOOKING FOR YOU!" Rang a voice from the front of the garden.

Michael rolled his eyes and muttered, "That Lilly..."

YEAH, I would SAY SO. How is it that Lilly alone had ruined pretty much every good moment I had that night with Michael?

Anyway, so Michael looked alarmed all of a sudden and said, "Mia, your dad is going to kill me when he finds out I was keeping you here for so long. We have to get back."

And then suddenly I wasn't feeling so outgoing anymore. In fact, I couldn't really remember how I had even gotten my nerve up to kiss Michael back, once his tongue made it into my mouth...

So I just nodded and Michael took my hand again (I could REALLY get used to this) and pulled me down the cobblestone. And then somehow we started running instead of walking briskly, and I was praying that my tiara would actually stay on for once. It was kind of fun, actually, getting pulled along by Michael. I don't really know why. But it just was.

As soon as we got back, Lilly, who was still standing at the garden entranceway, looked down at our entwined hands and her eyes got really big. And I was totally afraid she would get mad or something, but she just smirked at Michael. I looked up at him, and saw he was panting from all the running and his cheeks were flushed. I was pretty sure I looked similar.

"Okay, so I don't know WHAT you were doing with my best friend, but she needs to go see her grandmother, STAT. The woman is visibly freaking out, although she's not letting on to her guests. But our parents are pros in this stuff, so I've heard about symptoms and cases, and let me tell you she is NOT happy."

I slapped my forehead with the palm of my free hand. "Oh my gosh, I am SO dead. I haven't danced with even ONE GUY yet, except for Michael."

At this, Lilly's eyes got WIDER, and she looked at Michael all meaningfully again... I really wish she didn't do that, it's SO confusing.

"Well, you'd better think of an excuse really quick, because she's waiting for you."

I groaned and walked towards Grandmere, who was chatting with Blondie. She looked totally angry. Her tattoo eyeliner was totally making her eyes all bulgy looking.

When she saw me, she looked relieved and furious at the same time. I am not even kidding. That woman has serious expression skills. "AMELIA! Where have you BEEN?" She snapped loudly at me, causing a few guests to look at her curiously from where they were dancing. "You have not danced with even ONE YOUNG MAN this whole time!"

"I will, Grandmere," I said, although of course I totally wasn't planning on it.

"At least dance with your cousin Rene, Amelia," she said, exasperated. Um, NO WAY. Rene was the VERY LAST person I was going to dance with. I would rather pet Rommel than ever do anything like THAT.

So then I replied by saying the most witty and creative thing I could conjure up in my head. "I will... as soon as I get back from the bathroom."

And then I bolted out of there before she could reply.

Which brought me to sitting in a stall, writing everything else that had happened before Michael had kissed me. That is, before Grandmere knocked on the door and shrieked, "AMELIA IF YOU DO NOT GET OUT OF THIS FILTHY BATHROOM RIGHT NOW I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU DANCE WITH EVERY MAN IN THAT BALLROOM! DO YOU HEAR ME?"

Oh, no, of course I didn't hear you, Grandmere. You only screamed so loudly that I was forced to clap my hands over my ears. But no worries. I'm sure my hearing will come back in a couple MONTHS.

"Coming, Grandmere." Wow. Lilly was right. I am WAY unassertive.

But then my dad totally let me get away with complaining about a stomachache (we share the same fear that is Grandmere) and so me and Michael and Lilly-and-Boris and Tina all piled into my limo. Because obviously they weren't going to stay there if I wasn't there. I mean, that was the whole reason they came. Well, I think maybe Tina wouldn't have minded staying if it meant Prince William was there, too, but she didn't object.

So then Hans drove Tina home, and since my house was closest, he pulled up in front of it next. Michael walked me up to the stoop to the Loft. I couldn't even hide the embarrassing grin on my face, which caused Lilly to snort at me (at least she didn't say anything).

Michael took one of my hands and looked down at me. "Mia, I... well, I was going to say something earlier... only we got interrupted..." His cheeks flushed a shade of crimson. I didn't doubt mine looked the same. In fact, my cheeks seem to redden whenever I'm even AROUND Michael.

"Mia, I... love you."

OKAY, I must admit I was NOT expecting that. I fully did a double take. "Did you just... did you just say you _love me_?"

I didn't think I had heard him right. "Um. Yeah." Okay, so I had made him uncomfortable. I was very ready to tell him I loved him, too. But the words got all caught in my throat, so I did the only thing I could think of.

Which was to put my arms around Michael's neck and press my lips to his. Michael pulled me towards him and deepened the kiss, sending A LOT of shivers up my spine.

When Michael let go of me, I said, "I love you, too." My voice came out super high and squeaky, but at least I got the words out.

Michael smiled down at me, then pulled me back towards him for another kiss.

And I certainly saw no reason to withhold it.

**YAY! FLUFF! Thank you all so much for reading this fan fiction! I just wanted to say that, because I don't know if I will do anymore chapters for this. It seems to end pretty good there. Let me know what you think, please: should I add more to this, or start a new princess diaries fan fiction (when I get back from vacation)? Your help would be GREATLY appreciated! **

**P.S- Sorry is there are a couple grammar mistakes in this, or whatever. I didn't have time to look it over. Hope you all enjoyed reading it, I certainly had fun writing it!**


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